Forecast

Millions of ducks, geese flocking to Sacramento Valley

At the viewing deck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in Sacramento Valley, photographer Andy Lacasse trains his lens in on ducks and geese.

At the viewing deck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in Sacramento Valley, photographer Andy Lacasse trains his lens in on ducks and geese.

Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

At the viewing deck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in Sacramento Valley, photographer Andy Lacasse trains his lens in on ducks and geese.

At the viewing deck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in Sacramento Valley, photographer Andy Lacasse trains his lens in on ducks and geese.

Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

Millions of ducks, geese flocking to Sacramento Valley

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Above us to the right, two pintail ducks plummeted out of the morning sky at 50 mph. In tandem, they turned 45 degrees, locked their wings, and — in a falling-rising-falling dance in midair — plunged in front of us.

I raised and shot. Got them both.

It was one of my most difficult photographs ever. The ducks then flared and landed in the marsh pond.

Beyond, a trio of cinnamon teal, perched on a log, slept with their heads tucked under their wings. Far above, skeins of geese filled the high sky. You could hear the squawks and honks carry for miles on this quiet morning at the refuge.

One of the great wildlife spectacles in California — the arrival of 10 million ducks and geese, along with unbelievable millions of shorebirds, raptors and songbirds — is under way at the marsh wetlands in the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area.

The peak migrations on the Pacific Flyway started last week. At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex alone, roughly 850,000 ducks and geese had arrived by the start of the month. Those numbers are projected to hit 1.5 million by Thanksgiving.

The timing means driving tours — already good and getting better — are projected to be spectacular from Thanksgiving through Christmas. For those heading out of the Bay Area for the holidays or vacations, these driving tours can provide spectacular side trips that can end up being the best part of your holiday.

Best of the best

Waterfowl viewing

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge: The 6-mile tour is on a dirt levee road that wraps around the marsh. Drive at the pace of a walk and stop at all the keyhole breaks in the tules, then use binoculars or a spotting scope to home in on all of the birds. A viewing deck provides an elevated long-distance panorama of the marsh and to the Sutter Buttes. Except at viewing stations, do not get out of your car; the birds are habituated to vehicles, not people. Note: As darkness takes over, the geese fly out of the refuge to feed on the neighboring rice fields; the best spot to see the event is the last left turn on the way out of the refuge. Getting there: $6 (good same day for Colusa), free with federal Duck Stamp; GPS location: 752 County Road 99W, Willows; contact: U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, 530-934-2801, www.fws.gov/refuge/sacramento.

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge: This is a 3-mile driving tour, but many pass the best spot, the viewing deck on the right located near the start of the drive. For photographs, the ducks and geese are often closest here. A 1-mile trail also starts near the viewing platform. The driving tour passes a pond on your right, crosses a riparian creek, and then extends to a small lake and beyond to good upland habitat. Note: When driving through the uplands, stay alert — we’ve seen deer, coyote, fox and bobcat. Getting there: $6 (good same day for Sacramento NWR), free with federal Duck Stamp; GPS location: 2180 State Highway 20, Colusa; contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 530-934-2801; www.fws.gov/refuge/sacramento.

Woodbridge Ecological Reserve: Woodbridge is renowned for its sandhill crane flyovers, which are best at dusk. Tours are available to put visitors in the best position to see the spectacle. As a freshwater marsh, Woodbridge attracts a diversity of waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds on their migratory flights. Note: After turning on Woodbridge Road, drive 2 miles to a turnout on the left for one of the best lookouts to take in the flights. Getting there: $4.32 or California DFW Lands Pass; GPS location: 7730 W. Woodbridge Road, Lodi; Woodbridge Ecological Reserve,209-234-3435, info and register for crane tours at www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/cranetour.

Cosumnes River Preserve: This is a vast habitat that extends into the Delta. Easy walks span miles, where there are more birds than people. On Saturday at headquarters, a row of spotting scopes will be set up to provide views of ducks, geese, stilts, snipe and more. For the more ambitious, this is one of the best places anywhere to launch a kayak or canoe and see birds from the water. Getting there: Free parking, access; GPS location: 13501 Franklin Blvd., Galt; contact: Cosumnes River Preserve, 916-684-2816, www.cosumnes.org.

— Tom Stienstra

A 6-mile loop driving tour of the Sacramento refuge is available just east of Interstate 5, between Maxwell and Willows. A 3-mile driving tour is available at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, located just south of Highway 20 just west of Colusa (and east of Williams).

Several other refuges provide drives to lookouts with short walks to great viewing areas. These include Woodbridge Ecological Reserve (short walk for best prospects) located west of Lodi in the remote Delta, and Cosumnes River Preserve (great for youngsters, best by kayak) located near Galt, in the Walnut Grove/Thornton area.

The Bay Area has 20 wetlands marshes that attract roughly 1.2 million migratory shorebirds and waterfowl for winter. These sites are listed in a story, “Marsh project means more fish, birds and wildlife,” that appeared in The Chronicle on Oct. 14.

The best include the Napa-Sonoma Marsh in the North Bay, Bothin Marsh in Marin, Palo Alto Baylands on the Peninsula, Hayward Regional Shoreline on the shore of the South Bay in Alameda County, Big Break Regional Shoreline on the gateway to the Delta in Oakley in Contra Costa County, and the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge’s Environmental Education Center in Alviso.

Here they come

Three weeks ago, big storms and freezing temperatures in Alaska and British Columbia started pushing the birds south en masse. That was followed 10 days ago by a succession of storms that hammered the Pacific Northwest. Right on schedule.

In mid-October, 846,700 total waterfowl had arrived at the Sacramento NWR Complex. That included 198,000 white-fronted geese (many call them “specks”) and 360,000 pintail. By next week, the number of waterfowl is expected to hit 1.4 million to 1.5 million.

A huge influx of snow geese is under way. In mid-October, only 2,700 “white geese,” which combine both snow geese and Ross’ geese (because they are too difficult to discern the difference in aerial surveys), were counted at the Sacramento Complex. Yet in most years by mid-November, roughly 275,000 “white geese” arrive to the wetlands marshes here, and they keep coming through Thanksgiving and into December.

Related Stories

This massive influx of snow geese is under way, with more white geese piling into the refuge each day. The next counts will take place next week.

Pintail numbers are going up as well, with more than 500,000 expected by mid-November, plus 340,000 teal (both green-winged and cinnamon), 180,000 wigeon and more than 100,000 shovelers.

One key is rain, flooding and the amount of marsh habitat available to provide landing spots for rest and food. Even with sparse rain this month, wildlife managers have been able to jump-start the marsh habitat with shallow-water flooding: 69 percent of the Sacramento Complex is flooded, compared to 66 percent of Delevan, 74 percent of Colusa and 100 percent of the Butte Sink. Sutter and Llano Seco, which typically flood later in the fall, are at 45 and 33 percent, respectively.

These numbers will go up as winter arrives, of course. The next chance of rain, always a wild card for the Sacramento Valley, is forecast for the end of next week.

Afternoon temperatures this week have been in the mid-70s, with plenty of sun and tons of birds, both in the air and on the marsh.